Keep On Truckin'

As a study of the exotic, it's hard to beat the average
truck stop. Taken as a group, truckers are an eclectic bunch. There are
a huge number of veterans like yours truly, for whom trucking has enough
similarities to a deployment to make it a comfortable fit. There are
the cowboy types, complete with hats, belt buckles, pointy-toed boots,
and a steely-eyed stare that would turn the Marlboro Man into a first
class bed wetter. We have biker types complete with chained wallets and
leather everything. We've got couples who decided to tour the country
together, and people who elected to escape the Dilbert hell of the
office cubicle and acquaint themselves with manual labor. Walking into
most truck stops for the first time, you might wonder if you had
stumbled upon a Village People convention, or chastise yourself for not
bringing any Halloween candy. You could rope us off and charge
admission just to watch.

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